This study investigated Instructional Resource Dynamics and Instructional Adaptability as Determinants of Competency-Based Curriculum Implementation Fidelity in Uganda’s Lower Secondary Education. The specific objective was to determine how human, digital/printed, and physical infrastructural resources affect curriculum implementation and to assess the mediating role of instructional adaptability. An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was employed, beginning with a quantitative phase using structured surveys administered to 972 lower secondary school teachers, followed by qualitative interviews to contextualise statistical findings. Quantitative data were analysed using SPSS Version 25, employing descriptive statistics, correlation, hierarchical multiple regression, and mediation analysis through path coefficients and Sobel testing. Results indicated that educational resources significantly predicted curriculum implementation, with human resources having the strongest effect, followed by digital/printed materials, while physical infrastructure showed a smaller, non-significant contribution. Instructional adaptability partially mediated the relationship between educational resources and curriculum implementation, suggesting that resource availability enhances teachers’ adaptive teaching capacities, which in turn improves curriculum fidelity. These findings align with Constructivist and Fidelity of Implementation theories, emphasising that teacher competence and flexibility bridge the gap between policy intentions and classroom realities. The study concludes that the success of CBC implementation depends not only on the adequacy of resources but also on teachers’ ability to adapt instruction to diverse contexts. It recommends that the Ministry of Education increase teacher recruitment and professional development, expand equitable access to digital and printed learning resources, and improve infrastructure standards through collaboration with county governments and school boards. Strengthening teacher adaptability through continuous professional learning and targeted policy support is essential for sustaining effective, learner-centred curriculum implementation across Uganda’s education system.

During the COVID-19 pandemic educators rapidly pivoted their instructional approaches. While this period of disruption is behind us, we are left with a legacy of experiences that can continue to benefit learners. Open educational resources improve accessibility in the classroom, and for learners globally without access to well-resourced institutional libraries. In the 2023-24 academic year, lecture videos for Veterinary Bacteriology and Mycology (a 3-credit, 2nd year DVM course at the University of Saskatchewan) were published on YouTube. Two student cohorts were surveyed about their use of the videos, and YouTube analytics was used to describe how videos were accessed globally. Students generally favoured these prerecorded videos, citing improved video quality (24%) and shorter duration (36%) compared to other courses where in-person lectures were filmed. 73% of students reported that having these videos on YouTube improved accessibility. From August 2023 through December 2024 the YouTube channel received >230,000 views from 86 countries. Approximately 6% of views originated in Canada while 62% were from low- and middle-income countries. This exercise was a positive experience yielding an easy to access repository of content to share with learners locally and globally. Other instructors are encouraged to seek out opportunities for the creation of open resources. Future studies should assess the impacts of online video sharing platforms on student learning.

Background Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is increasingly prevalent worldwide and is associated with substantial short- and long-term risks for mothers and offspring, making high-quality, accessible health information essential. At the same time, artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots based on large language models are being widely used for health queries, yet their accuracy, reliability and readability in the context of GDM remain unclear. Methods We first evaluated six AI chatbots (ChatGPT-5, ChatGPT-4o, DeepSeek-V3.2, DeepSeek-R1, Gemini 2.5 Pro and Claude Sonnet 4.5) using 200 single-best-answer multiple-choice questions (MCQs) on GDM drawn from MedQA, MedMCQA and the Chinese National Medical Examination item bank, covering four domains: epidemiology and risk factors, clinical manifestations and diagnosis, maternal and neonatal outcomes, and management and treatment. Each item was posed three times to every model under a standardized prompting protocol, and accuracy was defined as the proportion of correctly answered questions. For public-facing information, we identified 15 core GDM education questions using Google Trends and expert review, and queried four chatbots (ChatGPT-5, DeepSeek-V3.2, Claude Sonnet 4.5 and Gemini 2.5 Pro). Two obstetricians independently assessed reliability using DISCERN, EQIP, GQS and JAMA benchmarks, and readability was quantified using ARI, CL, FKGL, FRES, GFI and SMOG indices. Results Overall MCQ accuracy differed significantly across the six chatbots ( p < 0.0001), with ChatGPT-5 achieving the highest mean accuracy (92.17%) and DeepSeek-V3.2 and Gemini 2.5 Pro performing comparably well, while ChatGPT-4o, DeepSeek-R1 and Claude Sonnet 4.5 scored lower. Newer model generations (ChatGPT-5 vs. ChatGPT-4o; DeepSeek-V3.2 vs. DeepSeek-R1) consistently outperformed their predecessors across all four domains. Among the four models evaluated on public-education questions, ChatGPT-5 achieved the highest reliability scores (DISCERN 42.53 ± 7.20; EQIP 71.67 ± 6.17), whereas Claude Sonnet 4.5, DeepSeek-V3.2 and Gemini 2.5 Pro scored lower. JAMA scores were uniformly low (0–0.07/4), reflecting poor transparency. All models produced text above the recommended sixth-grade reading level; ChatGPT-5 showed the most favorable readability profile (for example, FKGL 7.43 ± 2.42, FRES 62.47 ± 13.51) but still did not meet guideline targets. Conclusion Contemporary AI chatbots can generate generally accurate and moderately reliable GDM-related information, with newer model generations showing clear gains in diagnostic validity. However, limited transparency and systematically high reading levels indicate that these tools are not yet suitable as stand-alone resources for GDM patient education and should be used as adjuncts to clinician counseling and professionally curated materials.

Systemic Representational Biases in Anatomical Education: A Multi-Modal Content Analysis of Racial, Sex, and Skin Tone Diversity Across Literature, Textbooks, and Digital Platforms.

Retirement without rest: A qualitative study of retired teachers' motivation from prestigious universities to support less prestigious universities in China.

ABSTRACTBackgroundA limited number of physical activity programmes exist for Chinese people with young‐onset (18–40 years) type 2 diabetes amid its rising global prevalence. This study aims to develop a multimodal intervention for improving physical activity levels for individuals with young‐onset type 2 diabetes using co‐design.MethodsThe development process included three stages. Stage 1 involved synthesising the findings of a review of existing physical activity interventions and a qualitative study of exercise experiences of young adults with type 2 diabetes. This generated a list of candidate intervention elements and behaviour change techniques to inform the co‐design process. Stage 2 involved the development of animated trigger films, using findings from stage 1, to present the physical activity experiences of people with young‐onset type 2 diabetes. In stage 3, a series of co‐design workshops engaging relevant stakeholders were conducted, utilising the outputs from the previous two stages and aligning with the Design Thinking theory.ResultsTwenty‐five participants (12 young adults with type 2 diabetes, 12 healthcare professionals, and one family member) attended co‐design workshops to develop the intervention. The co‐design process resulted in a logic model for a tailored programme–IPAYD (Improving Physical Activity in people with Young‐onset type 2 Diabetes). This programme integrates behaviour change techniques across four elements: individualised goal setting and planning, exercise monitoring, a peer support forum, and educational resources. An eHealth platform was preferred to deliver the programme, incorporating one‐to‐one consultations and optional group sessions to enhance social support and social interaction.ConclusionsThrough stakeholder engagement in a co‐design process, this study makes a novel and much‐needed contribution to developing a physical activity intervention for Chinese people with young‐onset type 2 diabetes.Patient and Public ContributionAn advisory group of six Chinese young people with type 2 diabetes met online and communicated through a project‐focused WeChat group. They contributed to the animated film scripts, the topic guide of the workshops, the design of the intervention materials, and how to conduct the workshops to align with Chinese culture.

South African higher education is characterized by profound cultural and linguistic diversity, shaped by historical inequality and unequal access to educational resources. Within these contexts, intercultural competence is often assumed to develop through exposure alone; however, such exposure may coexist with comfort zones that limit deeper understanding. This manuscript adopts an Intercultural Positive Autoethnography (IcPosAE) to examine the development of intercultural competence across my life course, culminating in a critical incident during my role as a university tutor in a culturally and linguistically diverse South African institution. Drawing on autobiographical memory, reflexive narrative and positive reflexivity, the autoethnography traces my socialization within an Indian-Muslim household, early encounters with diversity, periods of cultural insulation, and the disruption of these assumptions through a tutoring encounter. Rather than framing this moment as an individual failure, the narrative situates the experience within broader dynamics of language, power, privilege, and institutional responsibility in higher education. Through thick description and analytic reflexivity, this manuscript aims to illustrate how discomfort and miscommunication can become sites of positive intercultural transformation.

Did you know that an X-ray diffraction pattern is not a spectrum? However, one in five scientific papers showing X-ray diffraction patterns refers to them as 'X-ray spectra'. Further, and in contrast to what is stated in many reference books, a triclinic substance could have a cubic-shaped cell. In crystal optics the terminology 'parallel Nicols' is almost always misused, and in the frame of polarizing microscope observations zoning is sometimes mistaken for twinning. In this paper, six recurring misconceptions in crystallography, including several related to mineral and crystal optics, are analyzed. Their prevalence is assessed through statistical data on their persistent appearances in peer-reviewed scientific literature. The objective of this study is to promote the correction of these misconceptions in academic communication and teaching. Furthermore, and according to some learning theories, the explanation of well established misconceptions could be used by teachers as an educational resource, offering powerful learning opportunities and contributing to talent development.

The role of web-based platforms as a novel approach to addressing access to pathology education: The PathElective.com experience.

This study aims to analyze the concept and process of human resource (HR) recruitment and selection in Islamic educational institutions, identify effective strategies such as needs planning and the use of digital media, and their application based on Islamic values, including Al-Qur'an memorization tests and moral character evaluation to improve the quality of education holistically. The research method used a descriptive qualitative approach through a literature study of 15 scientific journal references and HR management books from 2021-2025, with in-depth content analysis and source triangulation to ensure the validity and reliability of the findings. The results show that recruitment and selection involve stages of HR planning, widespread vacancy announcements, and multi-layered selection such as administration, written competency tests, in-depth interviews, and microteaching, supported by transparent strategies through school websites, social media, and multidisciplinary teams to reduce subjectivity. The discussion highlights key challenges in Indonesia, such as a lack of transparency in the recruitment process, uneven distribution of teachers in remote areas, and adaptation to educational technology, which can be overcome through a holistic approach combining professional competence, moral integrity, and Islamic character so that teachers are not only intellectually intelligent but also role models of noble character for students. The conclusion states that the recruitment-selection process is fundamental to producing high-quality and sustainable educational human resources, with recommendations for developing a competency-based digital system, recruiter training, and periodic evaluation of teacher performance after recruitment in Islamic educational institutions.

Staying Connected: A Longitudinal, Multisite, Interprofessional Rural Fellowship Collaboration.

Review and agenda of Digital Forensics education and training.

Physical education (PE) is tactile, practical, and participative, making it more challenging to integrate technology than other academic subjects. This study intends to analyse the challenges faced by physical teachers while using digital technology in PE. This research included physical education teachers (PETs) from nine secondary schools in Selangor, Malaysia. Qualitative research design was applied in this study and the data was collected via semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. The technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) framework is used to analyse PETs technology education practises and issues. Results revealed that there were seven themes emerged for the obstacles: i) lack of infrastructure; ii) lack of financial support; iii) lack of training; iv) time and space management; v) perception and attitude towards PE; vi) student-related constrains; and vii) lack of educational resources. These findings can be useful to support education in the 21st century whereby the teachers should get extensive technology training to improve their digital skills, as well as regular and ongoing technology integration training.

The review analyses educational difficulties alongside teaching possibilities that arise within Timor-Leste's primary school mathematics education. Many barriers obstruct effective mathematics teaching despite extensive school improvement initiatives, such as creating problems with unqualified teachers and limited educational resources, which make student understanding complex because of language barriers. The post-conflict recovery context of Timor-Leste presents more difficulties for the educational system because it has damaged the school infrastructure and teacher development processes. Recent structures of curriculum reform target the modernisation of teaching techniques with peer collaborative initiatives that support educator professional development as administrative forces advance mother tongue-based educational programs for increased student comprehension through native language instruction. This review combines information from various studies about the current mathematics education status of Timor-Leste, which helps policy leaders and education professionals gain important knowledge. The mathematics education system of Timor-Leste requires special interventions that combine competent teacher training with appropriate financial resources to support teachers in resolving existing difficulties while utilising language effectively for developmental gains

The mental health of students is an increasing concern in school settings, with teachers often acting as the first line of support. As a result, there is growing interest in improving teachers' mental health literacy (MHL) through structured training programs. This systematic review aims to synthesize available evidence on MHL interventions targeting school teachers and to evaluate their effectiveness in enhancing knowledge, attitudes, and the ability to identify and address students' mental health issues. A comprehensive literature search was conducted across eight databases: PubMed, Scopus, Ovid Technologies (commonly referred to as Ovid, a biomedical and academic research database platform), ScienceDirect, Cochrane, PsycINFO, Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), and Google Scholar. Keywords included "MHL," "teachers," "intervention," and "effectiveness." Experimental studies published between 2012 and 2024 were considered. From the 3,459 initial records, 871 remained after duplicates were removed. Following the screening of titles and abstracts, 44 studies were examined in full, of which 13 satisfied the inclusion criteria. The final review included five randomized controlled trials (RCTs), two cohort studies, and six pre- and post-intervention studies. Compared to previous reviews, this review incorporated a greater number of high-quality studies. Overall, the interventions showed a positive impact on teachers' mental health knowledge, attitudes, and supportive behaviors, although the magnitude of effects varied. The review highlights that MHL training programs can be effective in empowering teachers to better support students' mental health needs. These findings support the need for contextually relevant, evidence-based training to strengthen educators' roles in promoting student well-being.

This study examines the impact of social media use on the quality of learning at Faryab University. Given the remarkable growth in social media use in recent years, this research seeks to analyze the extent and types of social media use by lecturers and students in academic activities, as well as their roles in enhancing the quality of higher education. The research method is descriptive–analytical, and the data collection tool was a researcher-designed questionnaire distributed among 132 lecturers and 346 students. Data were analyzed using SPSS and statistical tests such as the one-sample t-test, ANOVA, and effect size (Cohen’s d). The findings revealed that both lecturers and students held a positive, significant attitude toward the use of social media to improve the quality of education. The t-test results indicated that the mean responses were significantly higher than the theoretical value of 3, and the effect sizes for most items were large and strong. Moreover, significant differences were observed in attitudes across academic disciplines regarding certain statements. Overall, the results suggest that social media can be used as a complementary tool in the teaching and learning process, effectively enhancing educational interaction, resource access, and collaborative learning.

Abstract The tiered structure of higher education institutions plays a crucial role in shaping students’ college choices, influencing their academic and career trajectories. Drawing on Signaling Theory and Identity Economics framework, this mixed-methods study examines the factors influencing Vietnamese high school students’ college-tier choices. An integrated mixed-methods analysis of 3583 student survey responses and interviews with 40 students and 23 teachers from 12 high schools in Hanoi uncovers how institutional signaling, socioeconomic factors, and identity-driven motivations shape students’ tier-based college decisions. The findings reveal the complex interplay of academic performance, socioeconomic background, and identity-driven motivations in shaping students’ tier-based college choices. Students interpret university selectivity and prestige as key indicators of future career success and social mobility, with high-performing students gravitating toward top-tier institutions, while others make strategic decisions based on regional disparities, family expectations, and career aspirations. Furthermore, while standardized test scores play a decisive role in admissions, non-academic factors such as familial influence, peer networks, and regional access to educational resources significantly mediate college-tier selection. These findings have important implications for policymakers, educators, and higher education institutions seeking to create equitable pathways and policies that support diverse student needs and aspirations in evolving educational landscapes.

Aim. To comprehensively analyze the state, problems and prospects of using modern educational technologies in the process of teaching Russian as a foreign language in universities of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Methodology. Systematic approach, that makes it possible to consider the use of technologies as an element of the educational system of the university, competence-based approach, that focuses on the formation of students’ linguistic and digital competencies, modern concepts of computer linguo-didactics are the methodological foundations pf the study. The work uses theoretical methods (analysis of scientific literature, synthesis, generalization, systematization) and empirical methods (questionnaires of teachers and students, interviews, observation, analysis of teaching and methodological materials and digital educational resources). Results. It is revealed that technological tools should be selected and used carefully, considering the needs and meaning of learning. Tools such as podcasts, movies and educational software, online games, online language classes, websites, video tutorials, bilingual and monolingual dictionaries, and language learning with artificial intelligence are great tools that can make learning practical and fun. Research implications of the work consist in its results and conclusions that can be used by teachers of Russian as a foreign language in Iranian universities to improve their teaching activities, developers of educational programs and teaching materials for the integration of the technological component. Conclusions. The study confirms that the integration of information and communication technologies into the Russian language teaching process in Iranian universities is not only a current trend, but also a powerful factor contributing to the improvement of the educational process. The analysis showed that the use of digital resources such as interactive platforms, multimedia materials, online dictionaries, and video conferencing tools significantly enriches the learning environment. This allows students to overcome geographical barriers to communication with native speakers, gain access to authentic cultural and linguistic materials, and develop key competencies – listening, speaking, and writing – in a more dynamic and personalized format.

For society to increase agricultural productivity, regional knowledge must be leveraged. In international settings, educational resources are often influenced by diverse beliefs, norms, behaviors, and underpinnings of various cultures. To increase the knowledge transfer between developed and less developed countries, researchers must consider the cultural perspectives that educators may or may not subconsciously integrate into curriculum. We used framing theory to investigate the impact that cultural frames have on the dissemination of educational resources. The purpose of this study was to investigate instructional designers’ cultural preferences when creating Field of Hope resources for agricultural educators in Uganda. We used Q methodology to identify seven viewpoints—realists, structuralists, cultivators, achievers, generationalists, moralists, and globalists. The findings of this study supported previous findings noting that it can be challenging for instructional designers to separate their personal backgrounds and cultural perspectives when creating learning materials. We recommend that educators and instructional designers seek strategies to identify differences between their personal cultural nuances and the cultures of the audiences they hope to reach through their designed materials. We also recommend learning designers and practitioners carefully consider the impact of personal cultural preferences when writing materials, especially when creating resources for use in developing nations. Educators should balance the implementation of Westernized resources and practices with regionally relevant knowledge and culture in developing countries. To support international development, future research should further examine the relationship between culturally relevant instructional materials and positive behavior change in both students and teachers of agriculture in developing nations.

Simulation-based learning (SBL) has become standard practice in educating health care professionals to apply their knowledge and skills in patient care. While SBL has demonstrated its value in education, many educators find the process of developing new, unique scenarios to be time-intensive, creating limits to the variety of issues students may experience within educational settings. Generative artificial intelligence (AI) platforms, such as ChatGPT (OpenAI), have emerged as a potential tool for developing simulation case studies more efficiently, though little is known about the performance of AI in generating high-quality case studies for interprofessional education. This study aimed to generate geriatric case scenarios across 5 AI platforms by a transdisciplinary team and systematically evaluate them for quality, accuracy, and bias. Ten geriatric case studies were generated using the same prompt from 5 different generative AI platforms (N=50): ChatGPT, Claude (Anthropic AI), Copilot (Microsoft), Gemini (Google), and Grok (xAI). An evaluation tool was developed to collect evaluative data to assess the content and quality of each case, sociodemographic data of the featured patient, the appropriateness of each case for interprofessional education, and potential bias. Case quality was evaluated using the Simulation Scenario Evaluation Tool (SSET). Each case was evaluated by 3 team members who had experience in SBL education. Assessment scores were averaged, and qualitative responses were extracted to triangulate patterns found in the quantitative data. While each AI platform was able to generate 10 unique case studies, the quality of studies varied within and across platforms. Generally, evaluators felt that the content in the cases was accurate, though some cases were not realistic. Some patient populations and common conditions among older adults were underrepresented or absent across the cases. All cases were set within traditional health care settings (eg, hospitals and routine medical visits). No cases featured home-based care. Based on the average SSET scores, reviewers assessed ChatGPT to be the highest overall performer (mean 3.27, SD 0.45, 95% CI 2.95-3.59) while Grok received the lowest scores (mean 1.61, SD 1.26, 95% CI 0.71-2.51). Platforms performed best at generating learning objectives (mean 3.35, SD 1.08, 95% CI 3.04-3.65) and lowest on their ability to describe supplies and materials that may be available in hypothetical scenarios (mean 1.27, SD 0.84, 95% CI 1.03-1.51). This study is the first to systematically evaluate and compare multiple generative AI platforms for case study generation using a validated assessment tool (SSET) and provides evidence-based guidance on selecting and using AI tools effectively. The findings offer practical direction for educators navigating available generative AI tools to enhance training for health care professionals, including specific strategies for prompt engineering that can improve the quality of SBL resources in interprofessional education. These insights enable educators to leverage AI capabilities while maintaining pedagogical rigor.